Improvement in fare-boxes



UNITED STATEs PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM S. CLAPP, OF CARMEL, NEW YORK.

IMPROVEMENT IN FARE-BOXES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 154,373, dated August 25, 1874 application filed i May 9, 1874.

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM S. OLAPP, of Carmel, in the county of Putnam and State of New York, have invented a new and useful, Improvement in Fare-Boxes, of which the following is a specification:

In the accompanying drawing, Figure l representsy a vertical central section of a conductors check-box with my improved spout; Fig. 2, a vertical central section of the spout detached, and Fig. 3 the blank from which the same is made.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

The object of my invention is to furnish an improved spout or mouth for fare, letter, and other boxes by which the tickets, letters, Snc., may be securely collected without any possibility-of beingA taken out or otherwise tampered with, so that thereby a readier and better control of the same may be obtained. My invention consists of a double spout composed of a tapering entrance-spout with a central wire running at some distance below the slit, and a supplementary tapering spout incasing the former, the whole being made of a blank of sheet metal made of one oblong piece with triangular side extensions and lateral slit, to be bent into shape and soldered at the connecting-edges, and then applied toa fare, letter, or other box.

In the drawing, A represents a conductors fare, letter, or other box, into which is soldered, riveted, or otherwise fastened, the spout B, made of suitable sheet metal. Spout B is formed of two tapering spouts, C and D, spout C being the entrance-spout for the ticket, fare, or letter, and inclosed by the supplementary spout D, which extends from the upper part of spout C to some distance below the same,

' the lower slit, a', of slightly-wider size, being placed nearly vertically below the upper slit,

a. A wire, E, of U shape, is either soldered to the sides of the spout C, so as to extend centrally at suitable distance below its slit a, or it may be applied to side perforations of the outer supplementary spout D, provided it passes below slit a, in the same manner for the purpose of deilectingvthe check or ticket dropped in through spout C. The wire E and supplementary spout D prevent the extracting of any checks, letters, &c., into whatever position the box may be turned or manipulated, While the wire rende-rs it impossible to introduce any implement from the outside, as the bending caused thereby indicates instantly that an attempt to tamper with the contents has been made. The double spout B is bent and soldered of a sheet-metal blank, F, of one continuous piece, indicated in Fig. 3, which is formed of an oblong piece of the width of the spout, and of such length that the tapering sides of the mouth are formed by the upper and lower parts d, the tapering sides of the outer spout by the longer middle sections e, and the connecting sides of the latter by the triangular extensions f. A lateral slot, a', between the sections e, forms the lower slit, a', of spout D, while the upper slit, a, is formed by the soldering at suitable distance of the tapering sides d of the mouth. The spout may in this manner be made up in a quick and not very expensive manner by bending up the middle section, bringing the entrance parts and deiiecting-Wire in position, and soldering, nally, the side extension to the mouth and middle sections. The spout B is then soldered into a check-box, to be carried by the conductor suspended by a belt, or placed into an outside pocket of the coat, or at the wrist, or in any suitable manner readily accessible to the passengers for depositing the tickets or checks furnished by the conductor for the fare, forming thereby a cheap, simple, and efticient device for controlling the fare collected by the conductors. It may, further be applied to letter-boxes, ballot-boxes, and other similar purposes, with the same advantage for preventing the tampering with the contents thereof, in a neat and effective manner.

Having thus described my invention, I claim las new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The spout for collection-boxes, composed of a tapering entrance-spout with a detlectingwire centrally below its orifice, and a supplementary incasing-spout with opening orice vertically below the entrance orifice and wire,

constructed and applied substantially in the manner and for the purpose set forth.

. WILLIAM S. CLAIP.

Witnesses:

J oEN K. WYATT, AivreiaosE RYDEE. 

